Devin Chase Vancil Art and Music Scholarship

My work explores the importance of queer history and historical figures through mixed media portraits. I depict historical figures using mediums and unconventional materials that symbolically connect to their life and historical importance. Details of their lives, such as Oscar Wilde’s tomb and Marsha P. Johnson’s struggles with poverty, dictate my medium and directly connect my art-making process to each subject. I avoid repeating a medium or technique to make each piece visually distinct in order to showcase the various types of lives these people led. My work always begins with extensive research on the subject. Documentaries, biographies, interviews, and work written by the historical figure are the driving force of my work. Once I have researched my subject, I experiment with my medium and its application. Since my work is mixed media my approach to making a piece is never the same. I start by learning the basics of my medium, such as sewing or scratch board. I then explore the limitations of my material and how to use those limitations to elevate the concept of the piece. For example I was inspired by the color limitation of scratchboard, so I explored using similar techniques on other easily scratched surfaces like vinyl records. As a young queer person who doesn’t have queer elders in my life, I look towards our history for reassurance and community. The lives and tribulations of historical figures assure me that I am not alone in my experiences. I aim to inform viewers of the deeply rich and often forgotten history of the queer community. We have existed in every pocket of history from ancient Greece to the Space Race. Though the vocabulary we use to define gender and sexuality continue to evolve, looking back at our history contextualizes the progress we have made and the progress that still must be done. I share the stories of these people in hopes to provide the same reassurance and sense of community that they have brought me to other queer people. I use my art to connect and remember our history. I believe art is important to preserve and commentate current events when words fail to properly express our feelings. History classes will never be able to capture the love and suffering the historical figures I paint have faced. My art expresses the lives of these people in more meaningful ways than documentaries and textbooks. Without art we lose what brings people and new ideas together. Art forces you to see the world in new ways.